Spartan Heart, Part Two

by Kristine Cheney

  She was far too weak to stand or walk. Phebus’ demeanor suddenly changed. He seemed bored. Evangeline was actually grateful when he decided to carry her. Every cell and muscle in her body pulsated with agony. She kept calling out in her thoughts for anyone to help her. Phebus stared at her and studied her face. Was he aware of her telepathic cries for help? It was a battle to keep a straight expression. Her lungs burned from holding her breath. His attention finally went back to his gait.

  He didn’t know!

  Phebus wasn’t lying. She now understood what he meant when he said his model wasn’t fully equipped. The minion didn’t have full immortal traits like Dorien and Philip! He couldn’t read her mind!

  Evangeline cursed Phebus with every thought. She delighted in the fantasy of beating the snot out of him. A pained smile of satisfaction spread across her face. It was impossible to relax in his sick, mangled arms. Closing her eyes, Evangeline tried to pretend it was Dorien’s cool touch that permeated through her clothing. But it was no use. Nothing could mask that a cursed, demented monster was the beast that held her tight. Phebus carried her through a clearing in a wooded meadow. They were heading towards an old deserted cottage.

  The tiny, run down house had been left in severe disrepair. Black shingles were missing from the rooftop, leaving large bare spots of rotted, unprotected wood. The yellow exterior walls had faded to a dry, toasted custard. Chips of peeled paint littered a mess of weathered curls lying all over the ground. Burgundy shutters boasted the loss of wood slats. They rested in awkward diamond-like patterns.

  Grass grew high around the meadow. It was unruly and overgrown. Dead yellow shoots were from the change of cooler weather. Evangeline heard the break of crisp blades snap against the denim of his jeans. Phebus stomped towards the faded, burgundy door. The wooden porch floor groaned at the pressure of their weight. He finally breached the cabin threshold.

  What was he going to do with her?

  It was black as pitch. Evangeline cried out to be dropped onto the hard living room floor. She landed sprawled on her back. A moan of pain escaped her. It was a struggle to finally sit upright. Her head jerked towards the lingering sound of a match stick scratching across Phebus’ scarred chin. The flame blazed bright and brought a half-filled oil lamp to life. Evangeline relished the small, significant act. She was grateful she could see.

  Phebus’ grotesque profile forced her shudder. His narrowed, beady eyes scanned the meadow from his stance at the front door. He slammed the hatch behind him. The hinges wailed in ire of being disturbed. With the sharp turn of his wrist, the blunt, cold snap of the dead-bolt engaged. The maniac had locked it. He intended to keep her prisoner.

  * * * *

  Dorien tracked the awkward set of impressions embedded in the mud. He found Celeas deep inside the forest. Philip and Paraebates caught up quick. With the exchange of hearty embraces, their palms echoed from solid pats on the back.

  Celeas’ silver eyes shone bright. “Fortune has found us, brother! Words cannot express what it is like to be free.”

  Dorien nodded. “Aye, Leo. Mercy has found us all.” Despite his words, the muscles in his chest still constricted with ache. Every thought brought him back to Evangeline.

  Celeas’ smile left his face. His demeanor grew somber. “I have tracked the trail that will lead us to your Evangeline. Half of it shows a good struggle on her part. She is a strong woman to withstand such vile treatment. The man will answer for his brutality!”

  Dorien grit his teeth. He winced to think of the pain she endured being dragged by the tendrils of her honey-wheat hair. From the pit he had heard the echo of every torturous slap making contact with her body.

  Celeas, Paraebates, and Philip crouched on the ground and studied the press of tracks. Their expressions all burned with the same cast of anger.

  Celeas snorted. “I wish Thess was here! He has always been our best tracker.”

  Dorien reassured him. “Take your time, Leo. Your tracking skills are just as valuable. What do you think?”

  Celeas studied the mud and broken brush. “We must continue East. From this point on, the rogue carried your woman.”

  Dorien sighed and turned to his brothers. “Remember to listen with your minds. Evangeline knows we are immortal. She is highly intelligent and is well aware of our enhanced abilities. Phebus is Demona’s minion. His abilities are limited. He is unable to read anyone’s thoughts. Evan’s only hope is to call out to us with her thoughts.”

  Everyone nodded in unison.

  Celeas grimaced. His long, raven hair shimmered in the moonlight. “Taryn knows about us as well. Is she going to be a problem?”

  “No, Leo. Taryn is a trusted friend…as you may well remember.” Dorien read Celeas’ thoughts. His brother winced to recall the soft, sweet feel of Taryn’s lips breathing life into his mouth.

  Philip couldn’t help his tease. “Why the bitter face, Leo? No man can deny that Taryn is a very beautiful woman.”

  Celeas’ liquid, metallic stare regarded Philip’s ice blue gaze. “Aye, Philip. Beautiful she is, but you can call me traditional. I prefer to put my mouth on a woman first.”

  Everyone laughed in unison. But not Celeas. His brooding expression remained as hard as alabaster.

  Philip’s grin was priceless. “Better get over that mentality fast, brother, for times have changed. You are in for a big surprise where females are concerned. They are far more independent than any lady of Sparta.”

  Celeas frowned. “Then I have another reason to stay away from them.”

  Dorien barked orders. “Okay men, back to the task at hand!”

  Paraebates’ glare could have been fatal. “We must get Evangeline to safety, Dorien. Taryn mentioned she is heavy with child.”

  “Yes, Pops. You can take Taryn at her word. Only, Evan is not carrying my child.”

  All of his brothers’ heads jerked towards Dorien in unison. Dorien grinned with pride. His smile must have reached from ear to ear. “She carries my children.” he corrected.

  Celeas clapped him on the back. “So our mighty Prince has been busy! Congratulations are in order, or perhaps not. I will never be saddled down by a wretched woman. I would take the children over a treacherous female any day.”

  Philip smirked. “Love will find you someday, Leo. Even the Black Lion can’t roam the Earth alone forever. It is said there is an equal created for every man. Surely there is a woman insane enough to tame your vile, inner beast!”

  Celeas spat on the ground and snorted his objection. He brushed past them in an intentional brisk rush. His broad, muscled shoulders shoved them aside. The all shook their heads and followed after him. The tracks led them deeper into the forest.

  They ran in a silent flash and stopped abrupt before an abandoned cottage in the clearing. Dorien held up a clenched fist to still his men. Philip reiterated their ability to communicate without a sound. Dorien barked telepathic orders the moment he heard the gut-wrenching sounds of Evangeline crying out in pain.

  * * * *

  Evangeline refused to stop negotiating. “Please, Phebus! Let me go. We can pretend this never happened.”

  “Are you insane? Demona will kill me for this the first chance she gets. I have nothing to lose by killing you.”

  “But she doesn’t have to know. Who would be fool enough to tell her?”

  Phebus kicked her leg with a blunt thump. “Stupid woman! Demona can see into the future!”

  Evangeline cried out. Her body absorbed the sharp thudded pain of a leather work boot. “If Demona can tell the future, then how are you able to cause all of this mischief without her knowledge?”

  His distorted claw-like fingers caressed his scarred, patchwork face. He was considering the value of her words. She seized opportunity and gloated inwardly. She delighted in throwing the jerk a little more bait.

  “If Demona knows you’re here, then it tells me one of two things. Either she allowed you to come here because she knew you’d get caught and
killed by Dorien, which in the long run would do her a huge favor. Or, you’ve done torked her off good this time and she’ll be here at any moment to destroy you for interfering in the plans she already has for me and Dorien.”

  Phebus suddenly looked sick. His pale skin somehow turned so ice white, it was almost transparent. The furrows over his mangled brow appeared moist, as if he was sweating. His drooling lips gaped open. Evangeline shuddered at the disgusting display of his crooked, rotted teeth.

  Evangeline smirked. “Either way, Phebus, it looks like you’re screwed!”

  * * * *

  Dorien and Celeas jumped onto the cottage roof in a blur. The settle of their feet never made a sound. Philip and Paraebates ran swift. They each took a side of the house. Dorien reminded them to use telepathic voices.

  Celeas grabbed Dorien in a flash and stifled his reaction of fury. They all heard it; the sick thud of Evangeline’s body absorbing the impact of a heavy booted kick. Dorien trembled in rage. His head fell back in helpless misery. Evangeline’s cries of pain grated against every nook and valley of his soul. He would have preferred to endure his own physical torture by an enemy.

  Celeas’ bulleted stare shined in the cast of cloud-streamed moonlight. Lethal as death, his brother’s empathetic gaze bored into his own. Dorien knew the validity of Celeas’ thoughts. But he still found no comfort. How much longer could he stand here and listen to the woman he loved suffer from this abuse? He heard Leo’s telepathic words of encouragement.

  “No, brother, wait! Evangeline stings, but she lives! A little while longer and we shall have her…and him. Please say we can kill him when we get our hands on him.”

  Dorien answered him in thought. “As much as I would like to slaughter the bloke where he stands, Leo, we must play this one by ear. This whole situation brings nothing but complications.” Dorien reminded his brothers of Demona. He tried to paint his men the bigger picture. It was vital they all understood his dilemma. Wrath could befall Evangeline if they dared to kill her minion.

  Celeas studied Dorien and considered the situation. “You have much to tell.”

  Every mind growled in absolute agreement.

  “Yes, but I am afraid now is not the time.”

  Celeas’ raven brows furrowed. “Fair enough, Dorien. But tell me…this Evangeline. Is a woman worth all of this trouble?”

  Dorien closed his eyes and ached in memory. Honey-wheat hair felt like silk between his fingers. Long velvety kisses pulsed from the plushest bee-stung lips. Evangeline always made him forget his manners. The rapture he felt to make love to her body and soul. Her copper eyes blazed like molten fire every time she looked at him. There was no doubt. His little sprite made his whole existence worth living. “Aye, Leo…and so much more!”

  Celeas frowned and shivered as if a snake had slithered over him. “I pray the gods never torture me like that!”

  Dorien punched him in the arm in play. Celeas countered with a playful, wicked grin. Voices drifted through the stripped shingled roof. Evangeline instigated a new wave of banter with Phebus. Their immortal ears all perked in attention. The men fell mentally silent as they listened.

  “You said Evan was intelligent, but you never said the child was gifted!” Paraebates marveled.

  Dorien and Philip chuckled in unison. But Celeas chided Paraebates with his thoughts. “Pops! She isn’t a child! She is a grown woman! A pregnant woman at that!”

  “Shut up, Leo! I shall try to keep that in mind in the future!”

  * * * *

  Phebus paced the floor like a beast possessed. The creak of old wood floorboards muffled the scraping shuffle of his thick, soled boots. Quick blunt pivots reminded Evangeline of a caged tiger. The minion froze in the middle of his pace. His soulless eyes grew wide with sudden paranoia. The revolt of pressure against time weathered timber reverberated from rafters high in the ceiling.

  Evangeline smiled in mischief. Perhaps she could manipulate her way out of this horrid situation? After all, her odds for survival now depended on her. There was no one left to come to her rescue. It was a calculated gamble. But it was one she had to take.

  “Do you think Demona is on the roof? Perhaps your time has come, Phebus!”

  Phebus howled in fear. He reeled another solid kick to her leg.

  She curled tight in fetal position and tried to shield her belly. It was impossible to keep from crying out in pain. In a flash, Phebus forced her to her feet by yanking her by the hair. He shoved her rough towards the door. Her grunt slipped through pained, gritted teeth. She was surprised there was any hair left rooted on her head.

  “Open the door, now!” he commanded.

  Her muddy, crusted hands shook. The door’s lock popped and sprung aside. Rusty hinges creaked loud in resistance. Evangeline squinted in an effort to see the line of trees in the paleness of the moonlight. The silence outside was heavy, almost predatory and unnatural. There was absolutely no sound whatsoever. It was as if something was out there watching, just waiting for the opportunity to devour her.

  Evangeline squealed in surprise. A swift kick to her rump sent her sailing outside the door. She hit the ground with a moist, padded thud. Her lungs popped and burned. It was impossible to inhale. Her breath knocked out of her body in a sucked out rush.

  Landing on her side, she struggled to get up. The size of her belly hindered her. Crawling on her hands and knees, she reached the splintered door frame. With gasps of tiny breaths, Evangeline maneuvered back to her feet. Phebus grabbed her face. His fingers dug into her delicate skin. Tears streamed down her cheeks like beads of fire.

  “Look on the roof and see if Demona is there! I swear on the soulless brats you carry, if you make a run for it, you will die!” He emphasized slow. Phebus left her in a blur and ran like a coward to the safety of the doorway. His beady eyes bulged large with fear. The crane of his neck shifted from left to the right. He was listening for any hint of sound. Manic for any sign of Demona, his mangled claws swiped through the air. “Go!”

  Evangeline took a few large steps. She tried to ignore every throb of pain that rocked her body. Blades of dead grass crunched beneath her feet. Large strands whisked against the thighs of her blue jeans. She pivoted and forced herself to look towards the cottage.

  In an instant she saw them. Two masculine silhouettes stood on the rooftop in the moonlight. Her hands flew to her chest in contemplation. She coughed and sputtered, choking on her sob. Every beat of her heart told her who it was that waited.

  Dorien had come for her!

  Then she heard it. The deep protective tenor of his voice always had a siren’s way of forcing her submission. Walking blind-folded over a tank of ravenous sharks wouldn’t have thwarted her allegiance. Dorien’s roar resonated inside her skull.

  “Run!”

  Evangeline turned and ran like the Devil was on her trail.

  It was only because he was.

  She forced herself to run faster. The tight flex of cramps threatened to stop her in her tracks. Evangeline headed towards the shelter of the trees. Phebus screeched behind her. It was soon drowned out by the heavy thudded approach of his booted feet. It was a mistake to look back. Within seconds he would close the distance.

  Evangeline’s shoe struck a stone. She tripped and began to fall. Her hands crossed over her belly in protection. The tightening of her muscles braced for the sudden blow of pain. Every beat of her heart thumped with terror. The feel of cold, immortal hands clamped tight around her body. He had finally caught her. Any moment now, she and her children would die.

  Her equilibrium spun dizzy to be flipped into the air like a hot, griddled pancake. She whooshed towards the ground in a tumbled heap. It was a hard, jarring stop against this sudden, coiled pressure. But strangely, nothing in her body hurt. Evangeline lied suspended in the air, flat on her back. The dangle of her arms and legs draped down awkward. Someone had spared her the blunt impact of trauma. Why would Phebus bother to protect her from striking the ground?


  Evangeline’s heart pounded against her chest. With a held breath, she dared to steal a glance beneath her. Her squeal was purely from dread. Every labored intake of air was forced. Panic forced her eyes to fly wide open. She became lost in the dead, black gaze of her handsome, grinning captor.

  It wasn’t Phebus!

  Evangeline trembled and shook with fear. Who was this man who held her so close? Lowered into the bounty of his cold, muscled arms, her body bounced lightly. The thud of his feet rushed them deep into the forest. Everything passed by in a wicked flash. Silence hung between them. His gait never slowed. There was no evidence of tiring. Somehow she knew his lungs would never gasp for needed breath.

  His confidence was obvious; he never bothered to look back. The immortal sat on the ground and leaned against the crisped bark of a tree trunk. But the cold cradle of his arms continued to imprison her. He rocked her from side-to-side, almost like a loving parent. Evangeline couldn’t stop herself from crying. Had she traded one tyrant for another?

  “Hush, child. You are safe from Phebus.” The beautiful man coaxed. His tone seemed pleased, as if he was elated for her safety. She didn’t miss his knowing, naughty grin. She was sure it never left his handsome, chiseled face. Evangeline couldn’t help but study his features by the full moon’s glowing light.

  The cool swipe of his fingers wiped away her tears. Immortality had sharpened and sculpted his pale, delicious features. How could his black eyes be so eerily dark? She couldn’t find any hint of his pupils. The intensity of his stare promised his attention missed nothing.

  Short, cropped hair was as raven as his stare. Evangeline caught the shimmer of the slightest subtle touches; the faintest hints of gray had only kissed at his temples. Evangeline recognized the familiar twangs of vulnerability. Like Dorien and Philip, this one could penetrate her very essence.